Tourism is at an all-time high in Hawaii. The number of visitors is up, the number of airplane seats coming to paradise is up and the opportunities to have the vacation of your dreams are better than ever.
Okay, now the bad news. With increased demand comes an increase in hotel prices: more than 50% of the hotels in Hawaii charge more than $250 a night (vs. just 44% a year ago) and 10% of the hotels charge more than $500 a night (vs. 8% a year ago). Increase in the number of visitors squeezed into the available number of hotel rooms = increase in the cost of a hotel room.
The drop in hotel rooms can be attributed to two factors, the Waikiki Beach Walk Project, which started in 2005 and hopefully will be completed at the end of 2006 or the beginning of 2007, took some 880 hotel rooms out of the inventory in an already crowded Waikiki. Second, the conversion of hotels to time shares and condotels (a condominium unit which is sold to individual owners but run as a hotel) increased dramatically at the same time.
Book in advance, secure your rental car when you get your accommodations and expect your Hawaiian vacation to cost considerably more than it may have the last time your were in the 50th state. Also traffic, always an issue on the urban island of Oahu (with Honolulu and Waikiki) is now gridlock on Maui, Kauai and in West Hawaii on the Big Island. In fact, Maui now has three "rush hours:" the normal commuting drive times (6-9 am and 4-6 pm) and now mid-day when most of the airlines from the mainland arrive, dumping thousands of rent-a-cars onto the road to the resorts.
Of course there is a reason that all these 7.5-plus million visitors a year are flocking to Hawaii: It is fabulous. Hawaii promises every kind of vacation you can imagine from eco-adventures to romance to just relaxing on a sun-kissed beach and watching the surf roll in.
Here's a few updates to our latest book, Frommer's Hawaii 2007.
Oahu
The Waikiki Beach Walk project is expected to be completed by the end of 2006. Some 7.9 acres in the Lewers St./Beach Walk area have been under construction for 2 years. The aging, densely packed older buildings have all been torn down and transformed into a pedestrian friendly, modern gathering place with a 92,000 square foot retail/dining/entertainment complex, four hotels and one timeshare project.
Just a block over from the Waikiki Beach Project, the Waikiki Parc Hotel, 2233 Helumoa Rd (tel. 808/921-7272; www.waikikiparc.com) is currently undergoing renovations which will be completed by the end of 2006, when the hotel will be re-branded and open a new restaurant, Nobu Waikiki, with master chef Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa's eclectic Japanese cuisine.
Big Island of Hawaii
The Imiloa Astromony Center of Hawaii (tel. 808/969-9700; www.imiloahawaii.org), a $28 million museum and planetarium, recently opened on a 9-acre landscaped site overlooking Hilo. The unique museum, designed to be a landmark with three high-tech titanium cones, representing the mountains Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Kilauea, not only showcases the world class observatories on top Mauna Kea but also emphasizes the common ground between the astronomers discovering the stars and the Hawaiians voyaging into the Pacific. The museum is a wonderful combination of science along side culture, as the Hawaiian's revere Mauna Kea as a sacred spot. Admission is $14.50 adults (and includes the planetarium show) and $7.50 for kids 4-12.
The Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa recently added a new luau dinner and show, Kamaha'o: The Wondrous Myths of Hawaii, a state-of-the-art production with lavish theatrics woven into story telling, Hawaiian language, traditional hula and modern dance and acrobatics. Reservations a must (tel. 808/930-4900), adults $80, children $40 ages 5-12.
Maui
Just as fast as The Place opened, it closed, opened again, and became the Maalaea Grill, 300 Maalaea Rd., (tel. 808/243-2206), with the founders of Café O'Lei, Michael and Dana Pastula, again at the helm at this eclectic restaurant with live entertainment at night. In other news Chef Joey Macadangdang, the wonderful chef who opened Pineapple Grill, has returned to Roy's Kihei, 303 Piikea Ave (tel. 808/891-1120).
The latest Maui product to hit the market is Ocean Vodka, made from certified organic corn and rye and blended on Maui with MaHaLo Hawaii Deep Sea Water, from 3,000 feet below the surface off the island of Hawaii. Available at restaurants, bars, hotels and retail stores throughout Hawaii, for a list go to www.oceanvodka.com, it makes a terrific souvenir or present for your pals back home.
The latest exhibit at the Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd (tel. 808/270-7000; www.mauioceancenter.com) is the Marine Mammal Discovery Center, with some 40 interactive modules, video monitors and narrative boards on Hawaii's monk seals, dolphins and whales in a 3,000 square foot area.
Lanai
The Four Seasons hotel Lodge at Koele (tel. 800/321-4666; www.lodgeatkoele.com) is undergoing renovation. The project includes renovation of all 102 guest rooms, a new games room, and a pagoda imported from China. The renovations are expected to be completed by the end of 2006.
Kauai
ResortQuest has taken over the management of the former Kauai Coconut Beach Resort from Marriott and has rebranded the 10.5 acre, oceanfront property ResortQuest Kauai Beach at Makaiwa, 650 Aleka Loop, Kapaa (tel. 808/ 822-3455; www.resortquest.com).
The bed and breakfast, Hale Ho'o Maha, has moved to a new location, 7083 Alamihi Rd, in Hanalei (tel. 808/826-7083; www.aloha.net/~hoomaha).
The newest restaurant on Kauai is the Mediterranean Gourmet, located on the grounds of the Hanalei Colony Resort (tel. 808/826-9875), at the former site of Charo's. Operated by a husband and wife team of Imad and Yarrow Beydoun, of Lebanese ancestry, the lunch and dinner menu features such Middle Eastern standards as stuffed grape leaves, hummus, babaganush, grilled kafta, and tabouleh in addition to more familiar items as fresh fish and hamburgers. Entertainment on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights features a bellydancer. Open Monday through Saturday, 11amÂ?9pm.
At the Princeville Golf Course they have introduced a golf cart specially designed for players with disabilities to make it easier for people with limited mobility to maneuver around the golf course. The SoloRider looks like a conventional golf cart, but has special features such as the weight of the cart is precisely balanced so it can go onto tees and greens without damaging the turf for players who are unable to walk long distance. The single-rider cart also has hand controls and a seat that lifts and pivots electronically to allow golfers to play their shots without leaving the cart. There is no additional fee for the use of the SoloRider cart, but reservations are needed (tel. 800/826-1105; www.princeville.com) to ensure the cart is available and ready for the player's tee time.
The State Department of Parks is rerouting several trailheads at Kokee State Park and constructing new parking lots next to trailheads so hikers can leave their cars in paved areas and have immediate access to trails rather than having to walk down muddy, over grown paths. Affected will be the start of Water Tank Trail, the Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow, and the Waimea Canyon Trail.
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